This week on Talk To Tom, Thomas Viola strays away from gambling for a discussion all about soccer in the United States with Fox Sports's number one World Cup play-by-play voice, John Strong! How to fix US Soccer? Does it need fixing? The Pochettino hire, growing MLS and soccer in America, and more!

• 00:00 – Life After the World Cup: The Soccer Hangover

• 03:13 – Did the World Cup Create More American Soccer Fans?
• 07:27 – MLS Growth, Criticism & the Long-Term Outlook
• 11:23 – MLS Schedule Changes & the Battle for TV Viewership
• 16:48 – Promotion/Relegation vs. Building Bigger MLS Clubs
• 20:54 – Parity, Super Clubs & the Future of MLS
• 23:26 – Mauricio Pochettino & the Future of the USMNT
• 30:23 – Learning From the World Cup & What Comes Next for the USMNT
• 32:17 – Pochettino, American Soccer Culture & the Road Ahead

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The most exciting time of the sports betting calendar, Betbash arrives at Circa next week, and professional gambler Scott Moyer joins Thomas Viola today to discuss some of their favorite Betbash memories, seminars they have their eyes on, their personal tips for first time attendees, and more!

00:00 Intro

01:12 Why Bet Bash Is Special

03:24 Scott's Famous Bet Bash Lunches

06:14 Networking, Connections & Meeting Industry Legends

08:30 Can't-Miss Bet Bash Seminars

16:03 Scott's Favorite Bet Bash Stories

24:09 Circa Contests, Proxy Services & Football Season

29:32 Best Bet Bash Memories Through the Years

33:20 Sports Gambling Hall of Fame Debate

41:31 Weekly Vegas Lunches & Final Bet Bash Tips

46:03 Outro

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Thomas Viola is joined by ProphetX Co-Founder Jake Benzaquen to discuss the journey from an exchange operating on the sports betting model, to a gray market sweepstakes, and now to a CFTC regulated prediction market.

• 00:00 – Intro
• 05:20 – How Sports Betting Has Changed Over the Years
• 11:15 – Building Models and Finding an Edge
• 18:40 – The Challenges of Betting in Today’s Market
• 26:10 – Favorite Stories and Memorable Experiences
• 34:00 – The Future of Sports Betting and Prediction Markets

• 48:45 – Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

Follow Jake on X at: https://x.com/jakebenzaq

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Expert soccer bettor and BetMGM writer Nick Hennion joins Thomas Viola this week for a deep dive into the World Cup! From Nick's approach to betting soccer, to the differences and quirks of international vs club soccer betting, and Nick's thoughts on betting the 2026 World Cup itself, it's a jam packed episode perfect to get you ready for the biggest sporting event on the planet!

• 00:00 – Welcome In + World Cup Fever Hits the USA
• 04:15 – Betting International Soccer vs. Club Soccer
• 09:00 – What Makes a Team Built for a World Cup Run?
• 13:00 – How the New 48-Team Format Changes Everything
• 20:30 – Dark Horse Teams That Could Surprise the Field
• 25:00 – The Biggest Mismatches and Potential Blowouts
• 30:00 – Breaking Down the World Cup Favorites
• 38:30 – Golden Boot Predictions & Best Betting Angles

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Thomas Viola sits down with Tom Peabody for a discussion of his life, his journey into joining his brother Rufus's syndicate, what life is like as the admin of a major betting group, music, and more!

• 00:00 – Intro + Tom Peabody joins the podcast
• 03:30 – How Tom got started in professional sports betting
• 07:40 – What day-to-day life looks like in a betting operation
• 10:00 – Prediction markets & how they’re changing the betting landscape
• 14:00 – Managing risk, golf betting swings & bankroll strategy
• 21:30 – Challenges of modern sports betting after legalization
• 26:30 – The future of prediction markets & AI in betting
• 32:20 – Tom’s music career, creativity & balancing life outside betting

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Unabated's NBA and WNBA news and projections expert John Raudebaugh joins Thomas Viola for a deep dive conversation into building projections for the NBA and WNBA, the importance of news to beating the market, differences between the two leagues, and more!

• 00:00 – Intro + John joins the podcast
• 01:30 – NBA projections, tanking teams & injury chaos
• 06:20 – Why NBA betting is driven by news speed
• 08:00 – How WNBA betting differs from NBA betting
• 12:00 – WNBA expansion, roster changes & projection challenges
• 18:40 – Early season betting strategy & trusting projections
• 24:00 – WNBA growth, pace changes & rising scoring trends
• 28:00 – Why the WNBA talent level is rapidly improving

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Thomas Viola is joined by Tim Lawson, host of The Bettor Life Podcast and a bevy of other ventures in the world of gambling content, to talk about the art of interviewing in betting, mental health, their mutual love of Major League Soccer, and so much more!

• 00:00 – Intro + Timothy Lawson joins
• 02:00 – Double Chance & MLS betting success
• 04:00 – Why The Bettor Life ended
• 08:00 – Podcasting evolution & interview strategy
• 16:00 – Mental health in gambling
• 23:00 – Favorite guests & industry insights
• 28:30 – Niche content & future podcast ideas
• 34:00 – World Cup & soccer betting strategy

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Thomas Viola sits down with Richard Schuetz, an industry legend and CEO of American Bettors Voice, an activist group looking to represent the interests of bettors around the nation, for a discussion on how ABV is working to help advance the cause of fair sports betting for all, and tell some stories from back in the day.

0:00 – Intro + Richard Schuetz joins the show
1:01 – What is American Bettors Voice & why it exists
4:37 – Gambling regulation history & lessons from early Vegas
7:52 – Industry swings: legalization, backlash & sustainability
10:01 – Limits, bettor treatment & lack of representation
13:30 – Vegas evolution: analytics vs experience
18:38 – Sportsbook history & inside the Stardust era
23:07 – Data, transparency & exposing industry practices
26:41 – Prediction markets: risks, politics & “Wild West” concerns
32:29 – Responsible gambling, addiction & fixing the system
39:16 – The future: regulation, bettor voice & industry balance

Check out American Bettors Voice at bettorsvoice.com

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Thomas Viola sits down with Jeff Edelstein of InGame.com and The Business of Betting Podcast to talk about the latest in prediction market news, as well as Jeff's work in the industry as a podcaster and journalist, how he approaches interviews, our general outlooks on the world of gambling, The Sopranos, and so much more!

0:00 – Intro + Jeff Edelstein joins the show
5:42 – Prediction markets chaos: lawsuits, counter-lawsuits & no end in sight
7:30 – “It’s all gambling” debate (and why definitions don’t matter)
12:29 – Industry divide: casinos vs prediction markets
15:32 – Can prediction markets & sportsbooks coexist?
17:49 – The “Wild West” era & where this is all heading
18:35 – Building a great gambling podcast + finding unique guests
23:04 – The wild personalities inside the betting world
29:14 – Legendary arbitrage story (genius or crime?)
40:30 – Gambling culture, next generation risks & lack of education

Follow Jeff on X at: https://x.com/jeffedelstein

Check out the Business of Betting Podcast: https://www.businessofbetting.com/

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This week on Talk To Tom, Thomas Viola sits down with Robert Linnehan, regulatory writer for SportRadar, to break down the latest Prediction Market legal drama including court rulings in Arizona and Nevada, a new bill in Washington DC, and more!

0:00 – Prediction markets chaos is here (and it’s getting worse)
2:35 – Is this all heading to the Supreme Court?
6:12 – Strange political alliances & major red flags
10:28 – New federal bills: real threat or noise?
13:50 – Nevada cracks down + New Jersey joins the fight
17:47 – Casinos vs prediction markets (who’s really losing?)
21:02 – Public backlash grows + Colorado’s extreme proposal
29:30 – DraftKings’ wild new betting product explained
36:28 – Wisconsin surprise + what happens next

Follow Rob on X at: https://x.com/RLinnehanSR

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